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Friday, December 12, 2008 9:30 AM

Obama Seeks Permanent Grassroots Movement

By CORINE HEGLAND

The Obama campaign has asked its massive network of volunteers and supporters to attend "Change is Coming" house parties around the country this weekend to consider the next steps toward making his grassroots movement a permanent national vehicle for community activism.

This week's issue of National Journal reports that his post-election task force has sketched out the basics of a very-real, enduring campaign, which the house parties will help develop, to carry 'Obamentum' forward. Last weekend, some of Obama's top organizers huddled in Chicago for a meeting; earlier this week, his field organizers began getting calls: Would you be interested in possibly coming back to work?

The full story is for subscribers only.

OFA 2.0, which is the initiative's working title (adapted from Obama for America, the campaign committee), is still taking form: Funding is undecided, specifics are scarce and focus will be shaped in part by this weekend's house parties.

"No structural decisions have been made... it is an open dialogue," said campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. "The campaign has assembled a team of organizers from battleground states to work with our volunteers and allies on the next steps for the organization."

The idea, apparently, is to provide paid support for communities organizing not just around Obama's legislative agenda but also around state and local initiatives. Its vision is no less than a "national, grassroots-driven renewal of civic engagement," according to an account that a California Obama organizer posted to his blog.

LaBolt explained, "We started by sending an e-mail survey to our list, which has already received more than 500,000 responses, and campaign volunteers are hosting more than 1,500 house parties across the country as the next step in determining our supporters' vision for how the organization develops.

"President-elect Obama was clear throughout the campaign that elected officials in Washington alone aren't going to bring change, and whether it's by working to expand the Democratic majority or building grassroots support for the administration's agenda, the power to bring the change we need lies in the hands of Americans who are engaging their communities."

5 Responses

 

Responded on March 15, 2012 11:09 PM

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Responded on December 22, 2011 2:12 PM

Mike

Obama is great guy and president but he come in wrong time and nof his rating suffers becouse US in in deap hole and can't find the way out. 

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Responded on September 27, 2011 1:50 AM

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Responded on December 16, 2008 12:34 AM

Stacy

"Permanent Grassroots Movement" Otherwise known as cult members. Enjoy your "house parties" oh thee of gullibilty. At what point does this start to strike the typical Obama supporter as creepy.

Responded on December 15, 2008 9:44 PM

JPL

Hmmm, messianic symbolism surrounding a charismatic leader who preaches a vision of remaking society (and saving the planet!), mass rallies, a habit of threatening critics, mandatory "volunteer" work, youth brigades, and now a "permanent grass roots movement".  Obama has a real taste for the Fascist /Soviet style, if not (yet) the virulence.

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